Pressure Point
by dabbling
Summary: Crime Story. Some Hurt/Comfort. Friendship, as well, between Goren & Logan.
1. Chapter 1

Pressure Point

Chapter 1

"They're going to break me," he thought, leaving the sentiment unspoken. "They're going to do whatever they can to break me."

He stared at the blood on the floor, Alex's blood. His fists clenched and unclenched.

"Goren?" Logan asked quietly from behind him. "Why don't you… uh…"

Bobby fought within himself not to snap Logan's spindly neck. He didn't speak, couldn't speak… yet.

Logan backed away.

Finally, Bobby began to breathe again. He inhaled deeply, and tried to concentrate on the present moment. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

"Liz?" He said, his voice constricted. "Something's happened."


	2. Chapter 2

Pressure Point

Chapter 2

The darkened hallways of the apartment were foreboding. Bobby looked at Logan, who nodded. They readied their weapons.

"Police! Open the door! Police!"

A frightened old man opened the door. The detectives barged in, immobilized him, and searched the apartment.

"Clear!" Logan shouted.

"He was here, Donnie?" Goren asked the trembling man.

The old man nodded. "He took my money. I told him to leave me the money for the laundry, but he took it. He took it all."

Bobby turned the man loose. "Where did he go?"

The man shrugged. "I don't know."

"Where do you think he went?" asked Logan.

The old man's eyes were piercing. "When he has money, he spends it. He likes those girls, the ones in the barrio."

* * *

The girls ran, but Goren and Logan each caught one. "We didn't come here to arrest you," Logan explained. "We just have some questions."

The girls looked at each other, then at the detectives. The detectives let go of them, and they almost bolted. The men caught them again.

"Just tell me if you saw Donnie tonight. Donnie Cardenas." Goren spoke into the girl's ear.

She looked around and then nodded her head. "Where was he going?" Bobby asked.

"He picked up Sylvia. He was taking her to Atlantic City."

They let go the girls. "Thank you," Logan called after them as they walked briskly away.

* * *

It took a while to get there, and Goren's brooding filled the car. Logan knew he was worried, and that one wrong move might set him off.

"Have you heard anything?" Mike asked.

"She's out of surgery," was all he said.

They left the car in the drive at the casino. They showed the picture to the security guard at the entrance. The man waited to answer until he saw their identification, as well. "Yeah, he dragged some girl with him over to the craps table."

By the time they got to the table, he was gone. The trail had gone cold.


	3. Chapter 3

Pressure Point

Chapter 3

It was almost 2 a.m., but that didn't stop Bobby from going to see her. He walked purposely to her room and paused to show his badge to the uniformed officer stationed outside her door.

The cop registered that he had seen Goren's picture on his list of "approved" visitors, and nodded him in.

Her head was bandaged, and the blanket was pulled up over her damaged arm. She was on oxygen, and an IV, and a heart monitor beeped nearby. He sat down on her good side and let his thoughts race through his mind. Afraid to wake her, Bobby took the edge of the blanket in his hand and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger.

After an hour, he made his way downstairs. The gift shop was closed, so he went to the cafeteria. He sweet-talked a cafeteria worker into finding him a plastic champagne flute. He bought a large gourmet coffee.

Approaching her room again, Bobby handed the coffee to the watchman. He smiled in appreciation. "Thanks!"

"You just…keep your eyes open," Bobby said quietly, and went back into her room. He set the champagne glass on the window sill that held her flowers, ripped open a bag of skittles, and poured a handful inside. Then he kissed her gently on the crown of her head and left.

* * *

By the time Logan arrived, Goren had been researching for 3 hours. Having gone without sleep, he was raw and haggard, both inside and out. Logan sat down beside him. "Come up with anything?" he asked.

Goren continued staring at the papers in his hand. "Cardenas is an only child. He had a brother, but he died when he was 15. He doted on his mother, could care less about his father, and has been running in gangs since he was a kid. He was suspected, but never arrested in the murder of a police officer in 1993."

"Who ran that case?"

"Major case," Bobby answered solemnly. "I'm planning to call Deakins…" he looked around, "once it gets to be a decent hour."

Logan looked at the clock. It was only 6 a.m. "Why don't you go bunk out for a while." He could see the flash of anger cross Bobby's face, and quickly added, "Look, Goren. You're working with me, now. I gotta know if something happens that your reflexes are on."

Bobby took a deep breath and thought before he responded. "I'll try," he said, and walked down to the locker room.

It was 8:30 when he appeared again. Logan had already spoken with Deakins and had gathered up a new list of names for them to check out. Without a word of greeting, Logan handed Bobby the list.

He read it and gave it back. "Let's go," Bobby said. He gathered up his binder and walked out of the bullpen, with Logan on his heels.


	4. Chapter 4

Pressure Point

Chapter 4

Logan was getting annoyed. He tried to remember that Goren was upset, worried about Eames. He tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it was starting to feel like he was adrift at sea. He tossed ideas to Goren, only to have them fall on deaf ears. He offered theories, and got nothing in return. He took a long, slow breath and looked out the driver's side window, forcing himself to think about something else.

Goren read through the list in his binder again, oblivious to Logan's mood. They were headed to see Adrian Phillips, a friend of Cardenas back in 1993. The guy had been interrogated back then, and set free. As Goren read through the notes, he felt more and more sure this would turn out to be a dead end. He stuffed everything inside and zipped his binder shut.

Mike parked the car at a meter and they got out. They checked the address and went inside a small apartment building. It wasn't a bad place, not too different from Logan's apartment building. They trotted up the stairs and knocked on number 6.

The man saw the badges when he looked through his peephole. He opened his door, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Can I help you?" he asked.

Bobby stepped forward. "Could we…?" he asked, moving past the man into his living room. Mike followed.

"We just wanted to talk to you about a friend of yours," Mike said. Goren wandered through the open floor plan, inspecting the place visually. "Donnie Cardenas?"

"Geez, Donnie? I haven't seen him in years." He glanced behind at what Goren was doing, then turned back to Logan.

"How many years?" asked Logan.

Adrian ran a hand through his hair. "Uh, let's see… uh, 3? Maybe 4? Last time I saw him, I was trying to get my business off the ground. He was more interested in hookers. I never called him after that. I guess what Mom said was right. Sometimes you outgrow people."

"You still have his number?" Mike smiled. "We're trying to find him."

"Oh, geez, I don't know." He went into the kitchen, pulled out a drawer, and dumped all of its contents on the counter. He rooted past the pens, pencils, spare keys. Some batteries rolled off the counter onto the floor. Adrian lifted a handful of scraps of paper and went through each one. He handed one to Mike. "Here's a girl he used to see, Karen. And here's a guy we used to shoot pool with." He went through the papers again and shook his head. "Sorry, I don't have his old number."

Mike held up the two slips. "You need these?"

Adrian shook his head.

Logan smiled. "Thanks."

Goren thanked him as they walked out.

* * *

They ran down one more lead before lunch. Mike was increasingly annoyed by Goren's silence. Mike dropped him off downtown, explaining that he had some personal business to tend to over lunch. Goren accepted the lie without question. Mike really just wanted to get away from him for an hour.

By the afternoon, they had scratched off 8 people on their list and were no closer to finding Cardenas. Bobby was smoldering inside.

* * *

Liz had been tending to her sister all day. Alex was much better today, but was a little grumpy. It made Liz tired. She pushed the food tray away from the bed, just as a nurse entered with another bunch of flowers.

"Look what you got," the nurse said, showing them to Alex. She handed the flowers to Liz.

Liz pulled the card off and opened it for her sister. "It's from Mike Logan," she said. "See?" She showed her the card, and Alex smiled weakly. Liz went to set the flowers in the windowsill, and noticed the champagne flute. Setting the flowers down, she picked it up and carried it over to Alex. "What's this?" She looked into the glass. "Looks like skittles," she said with distaste.

Alex's face brightened. "Bobby," she explained.

Liz replaced the little glass on the windowsill and looked back at her sister. She seemed happier now. "I wonder when he sent that? I never saw anything…"

"Probably last night," Alex said.

"But visiting hours—"

Alex gave her a look, and Liz stopped speaking. Of course Alex was right. He had probably come in the night.

One of the technicians came in and recorded all of Alex's vitals. Liz sat and watched tv while Alex dozed. She didn't hear him come in. Soon his head blocked her view of the screen. "Oh, hi," she said to Bobby.

He whispered, gesturing to sleeping Alex. "Hi."

With a nod of her head, Liz led him outside the door of the room. She filled him in on her sister's progress since yesterday.

"And then they drilled a hole to relieve the pressure on her brain… but since then she's been doing a lot better."

He glanced back at Alex, then at Liz, his expression one of pain. "Uh… you can… go if you want. I'm staying here."

She was glad to take him up on his offer. She wanted to see her husband and her son. "Let me just go and tell her goodbye."

"Let her sleep," he said, one hand blocking her way. "I can tell her." Liz nodded, retrieved her purse from the room, and left.

Bobby entered and scooted a chair over next to her. She did look better today. He examined her features carefully, noting all the differences from last night. Getting up, he poured more of the skittles into the champagne glass. Then he allowed himself to doze in the chair.

It was late in the evening when she awoke. "Bobby?" she said. He stirred. "Bobby?"

Bobby rubbed his eyes and sat up. "Do you need something?" he asked quietly.

She smiled at him. "Did you catch him?"

Bobby frowned and shook his head angrily.

She was disappointed, but not with Bobby. She held out her hand. "You will," she said simply.

He took her hand. "How are you feeling?"

She smiled. "Kind of loopy."

"That's the medication," he said. "Or maybe that hole in your head," he teased.

Alex grinned. Her eyes roamed the room and found the champagne flute on the windowsill. "There are more," she observed.

He turned his head, tracking her gaze. He smiled. "Too bad you can't eat them yet."

"Maybe tomorrow," she shrugged. As she shifted in the bed, she grimaced. He stepped in, wanting to help. She let a long breath out. "It's really sore," she said, and touched her bad arm with her good hand. It was in a brace/sling contraption, virtually immobilized.

"Give it some time," he said. "You want me to call the nurse?"

She shook her head. "They'll be coming soon enough anyway."

Bobby wanted to kiss her, but instead he picked up her good hand and stroked her finger.

She studied his face. "You're tired," she said quietly.

He shrugged. "I didn't get much sleep." He didn't have to elaborate on why.

Alex squeezed his hand. "Sit down. We'll sleep together," she said with a wink.

With a grin, he leaned in and kissed her. Then he sat on the chair, still holding her hand.


	5. Chapter 5

Pressure Point

Chapter 5

The next morning, Logan found Goren had beat him in again. "Are you gettin' any sleep at all?" he asked, annoyed.

Goren waved him off. "Enough." He handed Mike a paper from his binder. "Let's run this down."

* * *

They pulled up in front of the pawn shop, parked, and walked in. The proprietor walked straight up to them. "What can I do for you, detectives?"

Bobby retrieved the paper from his binder.

The man read it, and frowned. "I'll go see…" he wandered to the back room, where they kept the stuff that wasn't yet on the sales floor. He returned a few minutes later with a box in hand. He placed it on the counter in front of them.

"I found three," he said, as he took out each handgun and placed it on the counter. "all of these are 9 mils."

"You have the information on each owner?" Goren asked, one eyebrow raised slightly above the other.

"I wouldn't be able to do business otherwise," cracked the owner. Goren looked back at Logan, exasperated.

"What he means is… do you know if the info is legit?" Mike interjected.

"No, I don't. I don't call until it's about to be dead pawn."

"Can we call right now?' Goren asked.

"Or we could take all three down to ballistics," offered Mike, "take another look at your license to sell firearms…"

"Okay, all right. You can use my office," the man said, opening up the top flap on the counter to let the detectives through.

Only one number came back with an "out of service" number. The detectives confiscated the weapon and asked the man to hold off on moving the other two.

* * *

The drove back to 1PP and sent the gun to ballistics. Returning to their desks, Mike took a quick look through his phone messages. Goren buried his nose in his binder and hardly came up for air. Mike made two calls, then turned to Bobby.

"One of my sources is hot. This afternoon we can go check out a little private casino he knows of."

Goren grunted an affirmative and went back to studying his notes.

"You find something in there?"

Bobby shrugged. Mike, aggravated, got up and announced, "I'm going to lunch. I'll see ya later."

Bobby never even looked up from his reading.

* * *

Logan had called him and told him to meet him at three and they would check out the lead his source gave him.

By the time he stepped out of the elevator, Bobby was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Logan waiting for him by the car in the parking garage. It was more than the usual preoccupation with the case this time. This time, it was accompanied by a horrible feeling of guilt.

"Goren."

Logan's voice. Bobby looked around, and finally found the source.

"You're keeping something back from me. I can't work like that."

Logan was right, but for some reason being confronted with it angered Bobby. "Well, it's just temporary," he snapped and pulled the car door open.

Logan pushed him. Bobby stumbled back, surprised.

"Listen, you selfish bastard," Mike started, but Bobby dropped his binder to the ground and tackled him. They wrestled on the concrete, and rolled back and forth next to the car. Mike's head smacked the underside of the open car door. In the adrenaline rush, he landed a right hook squarely on Bobby's mouth. They backed away from each other, breathing hard.

Bobby sat and leaned his back against the car. "You all right?" he asked, touching his bottom lip with the back of his hand.

Logan held his hand on the top of his head and then pulled it away to look at it. "I might need a stitch," he said, frowning.

"C'mon," Bobby said, looking at the cut on Mike's head. "Let's go to Rodgers. She won't say anything."

They helped each other to their feet, and shut and locked the car.

Within minutes, they were knocking on the M.E.'s office door. She eyed them both suspiciously. "Well, look at what the cat dragged in."

"Uhm, we need a favor," Goren said, and glanced over at Logan, who was holding a handkerchief against his head.

She sighed. "Sit down here." She pushed her desk chair out and Mike sat down. "What were you two fighting about… who gets the better stapler?" Mike flinched as she examined him, but she held him still. She looked into Logan's eyes. "He hit you over the head with that binder of his?"

Logan laughed, but shook his head. "Car door."

"I'll stitch you up." She turned to Goren. "What about you?"

"Just my lip."

"You'll live," she said. She dug out her medical kit, gloved up, and worked on Mike's head. "I suppose you'll want me to keep this a secret."

"At least for a while," Mike said. "We've got a case to finish."

She finished her task and threw her gloves in the trash. "I won't volunteer the information, but if I'm asked, I'll tell the truth."

"Fair enough," said Logan. Goren nodded.

Rodgers checked her watch. "I've got a presentation over at NYU. Should I separate you two?"

Goren and Logan both smiled as she winked at them.

"Thanks, Doctor," they mumbled. She gathered her things and left.

Logan looked up at his temporary partner. Goren's lip was swelling, and there was a split almost at the corner of his mouth. He kept running his tongue over it. "You look like hell," Logan said proudly.

"I felt bad…about the car door and all…so I let you get one in." Goren gave him a lopsided smile. Then he sat down in the doorway and was thoughtful a few moments. "It's personal," he began. "This whole thing with Donnie Cardenas." Bobby ran his hands through his hair. "He hurt Alex…to get to me."

"And you don't want everybody to know you feel guilty about it."

"Yeah. Something like that." Goren gingerly touched his busted lip and swollen cheek with one hand. "Eames and I brought him in last week…questioned him…nothing stuck. We had to cut him loose. He must have…read something… between her and me. He knew she was my weakness."

Mike leaned forward and broke the somber mood. "Well, you don't have to worry about that with me as a partner. He hurts me, you'll do the snoopy dance while you're booking him."

Smiling, they shook hands and helped each other up.


	6. Chapter 6

Pressure Point

Chapter 6

They broke up the poker game, interviewed all the players, and sent them home. Bobby's cell rang. It was the Captain. He said, "Yes, sir," and hung up. Bobby looked to Logan. "Captain says we need to get back right away. I guess I got a suspicious package or something."

They left the uniformed officers to finish the job and headed back to 1PP.

When they arrived, Ross waved Bobby & Mike into his office. "This is Detective Lyle, he's with the bomb squad." The man shook their hands.

"It was just a firecracker, nothing really."

"A warning," Bobby said.

Detective Lyle nodded. "Still, it could have hurt you. It was set to blow as the box opened. It might have gotten you right in the face."

Bobby rubbed his scalp and the back of his neck. "Thank you. Thank your guys for me, too."

He shook hands with Bobby and told him the box was in trace already. He left the office, shutting the door behind him.

Ross looked at Bobby, waiting for an explanation. When none came, he looked at Logan.

Logan cleared his throat. "He's damn good at hiding, but we'll find him, Captain."

"I'm thinking about going to the press," Ross said. "It might flush him out."

Bobby was already shaking his head. "It'll drive him in deeper. He's playing cat and mouse. He wants me to know it's a game."

Ross wasn't happy with the analogy. "One of my detectives is already in the hospital. You might have ended up there today. I want this game…over!" Ross looked them both over. "What the hell happened to your face, anyway?"

Bobby looked at the floor. "Nothing, a misunderstanding."

Ross looked suspiciously between the two men. Logan, from his many years of experience being called onto the carpet, stared straight ahead with a blank expression and offered no explanation and no apology. At last Ross decided to let it go.

"Go catch this guy," he ordered.

* * *

It was past midnight when Bobby finally got to the hospital. They'd finally gotten a break and had to run it down right away. When they searched the bar, Cardenas had already gone, but Bobby had played his hand. He knew that Donnie knew they were onto him.

The cop at the door accepted another coffee from Bobby and wished him well. Bobby entered, and couldn't suppress his smile when he saw Alex. She was sleeping peacefully, no longer on oxygen or a heart monitor. Before he sat down, he dropped some more skittles into the champagne glass.

Satisfied, he sat beside her, taking the time to tuck the blanket around her first. He sat back in the chair and dozed. The dawn's light came in through the blinds, waking him. She still slept peacefully. Bobby almost touched her arm, but decided against it. He turned and left.

* * *

They were having a day full of dead ends. Ballistics indicated that the gun they got from the pawn shop was the one used to shoot Alex in the arm. There were no prints on it or in it. Trace reported back that the firecracker bomb was clean. No prints. All they had to go on was the scraps left inside the box… trying to run down where they were purchased.

If there was one thing Cardenas was good at, it was hiding. They were in the car when Bobby's phone rang. "Goren," he said. "Okay, thanks. No… her place. I can be there at 5." He hung up and looked at Logan. "Eames is going home." They both shared a smile at that news.

It was 2:00. This was bound to be their last stop for the day. As Mike walked up the sidewalk, Bobby spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. Someone was running behind the house. Bobby took off, full bore. The runner gained some ground when Bobby had to vault over a chain link fence, but Bobby quickly gained some back with his long stride.

The man was too fast, however. He slipped in between a couple of houses and vanished. Bobby turned in circles, trying to figure where he lost him. The houses were still. There were no good hiding places. He must have jumped in a car and driven away. Just to be sure, Bobby walked up and down the block, peering into parked cars to make sure he wasn't hiding somewhere. Then he returned to their original stop and found Logan. He was still out of breath from the run.

"You all right?" Logan asked. By now, the backup had arrived and they were taking over the search.

Bobby sat down on the porch steps and put his head down, trying to catch his breath. Logan waved to one of the uniforms, and they brought him a bottle of water.

"Nice move on the fence," Mike said. "You could be in the Olympics."

Goren sipped the water and smiled. "Don't make me take you down again, Logan."

They shared a laugh.

* * *

It was quarter til five when Bobby showed up at Alex's house. He rang the bell. Liz answered, genuinely happy to see him. "Come in, Bobby."

Alex was propped up in her bed, watching tv. She found the remote and clicked it off when she saw Bobby.

"Hi," he said, eyes dancing.

"Hi," she answered.

"You'll have to get her up and ready for the doctor first thing tomorrow morning," Liz said, scrambling around to find her things so she could go home. "I'll be here at 8." She kissed Alex on the cheek. "Bye, sis."

"Bye," said Alex. They listened until they heard her go out the door. Bobby moved in and gave Alex a quick kiss.

"What happened to you?" She asked.

His hand went to his busted lip. "Uh… nothing… I forgot about it already."

"You look awful!" she said.

He grinned and shrugged. Then he blushed and sat down, taking his suit jacket off. He removed his tie clip and his tie. Then he unfastened the first two buttons of his shirt.

"Well, I hope the other guy looks worse."

"He got stitches," Bobby said.

She raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Bobby lowered his gaze. "Logan," he muttered.

"What?!"

"It's all okay. We just had to… work some things out."

"And this is how you do it?"

Bobby didn't answer, and she didn't press him for one. "You came by last night," she said knowingly.

He looked into her eyes. "Yeah."

"Thanks."

"Yeah," he said, and cleared his throat. "What should I fix you for dinner?"

"Just something simple," she said. He looked around, found a bag full of medications on the dresser and picked it up, rooting through it. Alex smiled. Bobby was always Bobby.

"What about these?"

"Not until I'm ready to go to sleep."

He stuffed the medicine back into the bag, and set it back. "Will you need anything else? A bath maybe?"

She laughed out loud, and held out her hand for him. He took it in his, giving it a lop-sided kiss.


	7. Chapter 7

Pressure Point

Chapter 7

Bobby had helped Alex get dressed. His first look at her bruised and stitched arm was disturbing, and brought back all the anger of that first day. He suppressed it, but Alex noticed the change in him.

Now Bobby was sitting beside her on the couch, comb in hand. He had undone the bandage on her head and was now trying to comb out the tangles in her hair as gently as he could.

"Ow!" she whispered.

"Sorry," he said, and tried again, holding her hair with one hand and combing with the other.

The hole at the base of her skull was on the right side of her head. He avoided that area completely.

Another tangle, another apology. Even with the occasional pain of the tangles, Alex was enjoying the feel of his hands against her scalp and her neck. She'd enjoyed having him beside her in bed last night, too.

He stopped combing. "We should wrap this up again," he said.

She shook her head slowly. "Just put one of those sticky dressings on it. I'm tired of the turban look."

He rooted through the bag of medicines and supplies from the hospital and found a box of gauze pads that fit her description. He placed one carefully over the hole in her head. When he was satisfied that it would not fall off, he cleaned up the trash.

"All set," he announced.

Alex eased herself back against the cushions on the couch. She looked at her swollen fingers peeking out from behind the brace and tried to move them, with virtually no success. She frowned.

Bobby lifted her chin with his hand. "Give it time," he said.

"I'm right-handed, Bobby. This could change everything."

He nodded, understanding her worry. "It'll heal. Give it time." The doorbell rang, and Bobby hurried to answer it. Liz entered, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Alex groaned and struggled to stand up. Bobby went to her side and helped her up.

"I'm gonna need a coffee," Alex told her sister.

Liz smiled. "That's why I'm early," she said knowingly.

Bobby handed Liz the things he thought Alex would need and they all walked out the door. He kissed Alex's lips and helped her sit in the passenger seat. "See you later," he said. He stood and watched the car pull away, then got into his own vehicle.

* * *

Having beaten Logan to the bullpen again, Bobby moved into a conference room and set it up. He emptied his binder and his desk of anything that had to do with Cardenas, the case he and Alex were working, and this week's events.

He hung up the pictures of the homicide victim. The young man lay on the floor of the stage, blood pooled around his head. He's been executed, a shot to the back of the head at close range.

He wrote a note containing the pertinent information about the victim: Francis Blunt, age 21, lead guitarist for thrash band, called Blunt Force. No known drug use. ME report states body was clean of drugs and alcohol. Daytime job: courier service. Bobby pinned the note next to the picture of the victim.

He hung a picture of the band, and next to it a note containing their names and information gleaned from their interviews. One of the pieces of information stopped him. The drummer, Juan Martinez, also worked for the courier service.

Bobby rooted through his information until he found the data on the explosive package. It had been delivered by the same courier service that the victim and the drummer worked for.

He continued hanging pictures and writing notes about all of the players in the case. Donnie Cardenas was a regular at the bar. He was seen at nearly all of Blunt Force's shows. He was seen sharing a smoke with the drummer when the band took a break the night of the murder. Juan had only said that Donnie was talking to him about one of the songs they had played: who wrote it, if it had been recorded yet, etc.

Cardenas was the perp, Bobby had no doubt. The motive had to do with the band or the song. It appeared that Martinez was involved, though it didn't appear he had anything to gain from Blunt's death.

Bobby zeroed in on Cardenas. He had been involved in a cop killing before; he had shot Alex. He had the audacity to send a bomb directly to 1PP. He was targeting Bobby. He was an adventure seeker. He thrived on risk.

Logan arrived and found Bobby's newly made study room. He perused the bulletin board, the notes. He'd seen them all before, but somehow having it all laid out at once helped it to make sense. It made the connections more real, less hypothetical.

"It was the song," Logan commented, and Bobby raised his eyes up from his binder. "What happened with the song?"

"Nothing yet. Eames looked into it, but we got nothing back."

Logan tapped the paper on the bulletin board. "It was the song," he said again. "I think it's time to talk to the band again."

"Look at this," Bobby said, showing him the name of the courier service that sent the bomb to 1PP.

"Martinez," Logan said.

"He's just a pawn."

"I know," said Logan. "But he might know enough. He might be able to lead us to Cardenas."

* * *

The surviving members of Blunt Force had been rounded up, and were waiting in individual interrogation rooms. Mike and Bobby looked through the observation window at room 1 and 2. They nodded to each other, and went into room 1, leaving Captain Ross to observe through the glass.

"This is Detective Logan," Goren said, pointing his pencil at Mike. "Mr. Davies, we just needed to ask some more questions about the night Mr. Blunt was killed."

Mike sat down across from the young man. "We know that there was a song you were performing that night…before your break. It was getting pretty popular with the crowds."

"Deathwatch. That was a kind of new one. Francis wrote it and we were starting to really click with it."

"Deathwatch?" Logan asked. Bobby wrote it down.

Bobby leaned in. "You know, I've heard that a lot of bands… they have a hard time getting along…keeping things together." He smiled at Logan. "Kind of like around here. Big egos and all that."

Logan laughed with Goren, going along with the act. When the bass player didn't offer anything, Bobby continued, "You guys… have any trouble getting along?"

He stammered. "Well, no, not really… I mean sometimes, sure a couple of guys would get into it, but that stuff blew over right away. We were Blunt's band. He was in charge, everybody knew that."

"What about Martinez? He and Blunt get into it often?" asked Logan.

Davies nodded. "Yeah, more than the rest of us. But they'd known each other longer. They were like brothers or something. You know," he said, looking right at Bobby, "how brothers fight, but they always stick together."

Bobby listened, and blinked. He thought of his own brother. "Yeah. I know that."

They thanked Davies and turned him loose. They joined Ross in the observation room briefly, then went into room 2.

"Hello, Mr. Hall, this is Detective Logan. We needed to get some more information about the night that Mr. Blunt was killed."

Same questions as before, and nearly the same answers. Deathwatch was their most popular crowd-pleaser. Martinez and Blunt were like brothers, though they did argue a lot about the music. Deathwatch featured a long drum solo.

Hall looked back at the officers before he left the room. "At the funeral, Juan was really tore up. I don't think I ever saw him like that. I know they fought sometimes, but he would never have killed Francis."

The detectives thanked him and sent him on his way.


	8. Chapter 8

Pressure Point

Chapter 8

Goren and Logan moved across the hall to Interrogation 3. Peeking through the glass, they saw Juan Martinez waiting inside. He looked sufficiently nervous. The detectives shared a glance with each other before entering.

Goren was the first to sit down, so Logan remained standing. Bobby opened his binder on the table and waved his pencil in Logan's direction. "This is detective Logan. Mr. Martinez, I was hoping you could clear some things up for me."

Martinez looked at him eagerly.

"On the night of the murder, you were seen sharing a smoke with Donnie Cardenas."

"I told you about that before," Juan explained. "He was asking me about that song, said he really liked it."

Bobby tilted his head slightly and lowered his voice to a near-whisper. "I know you said that before. But my new partner, Logan, here. He's old school. He thinks it looks fishy no matter what you say about it. We need a better explanation."

Logan adopted his "bad cop" stance, folding his arms and leaning against the door.

Juan licked his lips. "We had just finished playing our first set. Deathwatch was the last song we did. Blunt and the others went to grab a beer and a bite over at the bar. Cardenas grabbed hold of me, told me to come outside for a smoke with him."

"I didn't want to, to tell the truth. I was hungry. But he'd been to almost every show we'd played, and you don't diss your fans, you know? So I went outside with him."

Bobby made some notes in the ledger in his binder.

"He asked me about Deathwatch. He asked who wrote it, and when we were planning to record it."

"You do that, you record songs with the band?" Goren asked.

"Yeah, we were putting together a cd. Francis said he'd already figured out how we could do mp3 sales online and everything. We were still in the planning stages, but we'd booked a studio for next month."

"And Cardenas knew this?"

"Yeah, I guess. I guess he found out from the other guys."

Goren sat back and looked over his shoulder at Logan. Logan moved in, nodding. "Yeah, okay. But what I want to know," he moved in close to Martinez, "is how a guy can get executed point blank in the bar and nobody saw anything until it was too late."

Juan looked pained. "Hall went home right away. His kid was sick or something. Davies and me, we were packing up equipment, outside in the truck. Francis was still inside, wrapping up his cables. I had to rearrange the load, 'cause Davies is an idiot about packing. The stuff only fits in the truck a certain way, and no matter how many times I told him, he still got it wrong. When I went back in to get the rest of the stuff, Francis was…dead."

Martinez's face turned red and a rogue tear slipped down his face.

"Yeah, well, what about the bartender? The manager? Servers?"

"I don't know. When I found Francis, I called for help and everybody came running from the back room."

The men thanked Martinez and allowed him to leave. Goren looked up at Logan, who was still standing. "They were inside the cooler, a box of cheese spilled in there and the manager was reading them the riot act while they cleaned it up. The insulation of the cooler dampened the sound. They didn't hear anything."

Logan nodded. He had already read about it in the notes. "I just wanted to see what he would say. I still think somebody helped Cardenas. Maybe spilled the cheese?"

Goren touched the tip of his pencil to his sore lip, then thought better of it. "He knew the band's patterns. He'd seen them load up their stuff often enough. I think you're right. Someone helped on the bar side of things, gave him privacy and time to do the hit."

Bobby packed his things back into his binder and zipped it up. He followed Logan back out into the squad room, picking up Captain Ross on the way. "Call on the bar staff," Ross barked, heading back to his office. Goren nodded.

* * *

Meanwhile, Alex sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office. It was an open floor plan, and all the waiting areas meshed as one, with the various offices surrounding them. The designers had broken things up by installing curved half-walls and islands for plants in between the areas. There were mirrors on the wall made to look like paned windows.

While Alex's sister went to find a restroom, Alex leaned her head back against the chair and stared at the mirrors. Her eyes stopped on a figure, sitting by a wall, wearing a ball cap. She looked away, but then looked back. It was Cardenas, and he didn't know she'd made him yet. She fumbled with her left hand, trying to retrieve her cell phone from her purse. By the time she had it out and ready to dial, he was gone.

* * *

Logan and Goren entered the bar and ordered sandwiches for lunch. The manager was there, and recognized Bobby from the last time he'd spoken with him. He brought the sandwiches out himself.

"What can I do for you, detective?"

Bobby introduced Mike. "We need to speak with the people who were here that night. We have a few more questions."

He turned and shouted, "Paula!" Then he turned back to Goren. "Ramie isn't on today, but I can call him. He doesn't live far."

Goren nodded, and the manager went off to make the call. Paula came over and said hello. Bobby repeated his introduction. "Paula, we were going back over everything, and some things are just not adding up. How did you say that cheese got spilled?"

"I guess I must have bumped it when I was wrestling that keg onto the shelf. Ramie was supposed to be helping me, but I didn't want to wait. I was tired and wanted to go home."

"But you don't remember bumping it?"

"No, but I must have."

Goren and Logan shared a look. The manager came back, a sour look on his face. "I couldn't reach him. I left a message."

Bobby pulled out his card. "Have him contact us."

Logan hung back, and said to the manager, "and call us next time you see him."


	9. Chapter 9

Pressure Point

Chapter 9

There had been no time to call Bobby. As soon as Alex realized Cardenas was gone, they called her name to go into the exam room. It took her a few moments of shuffling to gather her things and go inside. Working with one good arm and one that fluctuated between uselessness and excruciatingly painful was a real challenge.

The doctor's news was promising, but not definite. It was really too early to tell anything. Alex was sent home with a list of things to watch for and a new appointment one week away.

As they left, she couldn't help but glance over her shoulder every chance she got. Even her sister noticed.

"What's wrong? You're awfully jumpy," she said.

Alex looked Liz in the eye. "Just take me home. I really need to call Bobby."

Even when pressed, that was all Alex would say. Liz could read the pain and weariness in her face, but even in the car, Alex would not let down her guard. She filled the silence with chatter about Nate.

* * *

"Goren," Bobby barked into the phone. His demeanor changed immediately. "Are you all right?" He listened, and without realizing it, squeezed his mechanical pencil until it snapped in his grip.

The flying bits of pencil got Logan's attention. He watched, listening, as Bobby finished the call.

"Do you want me to come over?...I could send a patrol car around….Are you sure?..." His voice was as tense as the muscles in his face. "Alex, I could be there in 20 minutes… All right, all right. Just lock up tight. Is Liz staying with you? … Lock the doors, and even your room. I'll be there as soon as I get off." He hung up and angrily swept at the remnants of his good pencil with his hand.

He directed his words to Logan, though his eyes never left the mess he was cleaning off his desk. "Cardenas was there, when she went to the doctor's office."

"Shit, are you sure?"

"Alex was sure. She said she couldn't get to the phone fast enough, and then they called her inside."

"How the hell did he know?"

Bobby shrugged. "Could have tailed her from home." He swatted the desk with his hand. "I should've checked."

"Yeah, well, shoulda woulda coulda. I'm going over there."

Bobby looked up. Logan seemed as pissed as he was. "She said she's gonna try and take a nap. I think she needs the rest."

"Fine, I won't bug her. But I'm gonna make sure Cardenas doesn't either, the little bastard."

In unison, the men stood and walked out of the office with renewed purpose.

* * *

When they were still two blocks away, Bobby spoke. "It could be a trap. He thrives on danger. He may be waiting… for me to show up... to make his move."

Logan pulled over and parked on the curb. "Then get out. You canvas in from this side, and I'll go a couple blocks on the other side and work my way back." Logan turned and rooted around near the floor of the back seat. He came back up with a Yankees hat in his hand. "Here. Wear this."

It wasn't much of a disguise, but Bobby accepted it. He took off his suit jacket and tie, loosened his collar and rolled up his sleeves. His weapon would be too obvious. Bobby removed his holster and stuffed the gun inside his binder, zipping it mostly shut. He pulled the hat down low over his eyes and got out of the car. He didn't look back when Logan drove away, just kept walking like he'd planned to do just that all along.

Logan drove past the apartment and came back around, his eyes scanning continuously for anything suspicious. As far as he knew, Cardenas didn't know what he looked like. He parked the car and got out, making sure his holster was well hidden by his suit coat. He began walking southward, in the direction of Eames' apartment. All of his senses were buzzing, on full alert.

Goren reached Alex's place first, and immediately went into crisis mode. He pulled his cell phone out and dialed. "This is Detective Robert Goren, I need the bomb squad to-" he rattled off the address. "There is a suspicious package on the porch."

Logan arrived, and Bobby waved him over. He dialed Alex's number, and felt his blood pressure rising as the ring turned to voice mail. He left a message ordering her to stay away from the front door, and hung up. He looked at Logan desperately. "She must be asleep."

The men waited until the bomb squad arrived, Bobby trying Alex's number every few minutes. Finally, she answered. "Alex?" Bobby said anxiously. He relayed to her what was going on. "Well, I didn't tell you I got a package of my own when you were in the hospital," he explained. "Just stay put."

Finally, the safety shields were placed around the box and the device detonated. It wasn't a huge explosion, but it was more than a firecracker this time. Detective Lyle shouted, "Clear!" and Goren rushed past the mess to the front door. He banged on it furiously, shouting Alex's name. At last she opened the door, and he pulled her into his grip, almost forgetting her injured arm. With a warning look from Alex, he remembered and loosened his grasp on her. Logan trotted up behind him.

"You all right?" Bobby asked.

Alex nodded, her expression full of worry. She opened the door wide, and they went inside with her. Bobby reassured himself that Alex was unhurt, and then gave Logan a look of gratitude.

* * *

Logan canvassed the neighborhood, showing a picture of Cardenas and asking questions. Bobby stayed with Alex until the team finished their work and drove away. Logan rang the doorbell and Bobby let him in.

"You… uh… want a ride back?" he asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

"No, no… I… uhm… you know," Bobby said.

Alex smiled at the awkward exchange. "You want a sandwich or something, Mike?" she asked.

He smiled, "Oh, no, uh… I'll just head on back. Thanks."

Alex, too tired to stand and see him out, held out her left hand to him. He gave it an affectionate squeeze.

"Take care," he said, and heard Bobby lock the door behind him as he left.

* * *

Bobby's gentle ministrations for Alex did nothing to eradicate the anger he was feeling. She fell asleep, and he lay beside her, his muscles tensed and blood boiling. Afraid to wake her, he slipped out of the bed and went to the living room to pace the night away.


	10. Chapter 10

Pressure Point

Chapter 10

The morning was tense. Bobby and Alex worked together, their words snipping away at the fragile thread taut between them. Neither blamed the other; neither was angry with the other; but despite their best efforts, words cut and left them both feeling raw.

Liz arrived in time to witness their final exchange of the morning, and watch Bobby storm out of the house, ordering her to "talk some sense" into her sister. What she didn't see was him stopping on the porch, and surveying the surroundings before he finally walked down the street.

Although Alex had slept, the pain in her arm had turned off her filters. She snapped at her sister before she'd even said hello.

Liz frowned at her, but said nothing right away. She went to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. Before long, Alex came in and sat down at the table. "Sorry," she muttered, miserable.

"It's okay," Liz said quietly. She gestured toward the door, toward the now absent Bobby. "What was all that about?"

Alex shook her head. "I don't know. Just tired, I guess."

"He's worried about you?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah." She asked for a second cup of coffee and proceeded to tell Liz about the night before. All of her anger and stubbornness was finally giving way.

* * *

Logan had a box full of Bobby's things from the car waiting on his desk when he arrived. He noted the bags under Goren's eyes, the tightness in his face, and wisely chose not to comment. "Morning," he said, and took a sip from his paper cup full of coffee.

Bobby mumbled something in the way of a greeting, and sorted through the items in the box. He took special care replacing his holster and his weapon. He had a feeling he might need it soon.

"Turns out the band made a homemade recording of that song, Deathwatch," Mike said. "I found out about it last night." He shrugged. "Couldn't sleep, so I worked for a while."

Bobby picked up the now-empty box and placed it on the floor beside his desk. Remembering the demise of his pencil, he found an ink pen and placed it inside his binder.

"So I'm thinking, Cardenas has some kind of an opportunity with that song. He kills Blunt, snags the recording, then he can say it's his, sell it to somebody."

"He'd have to file for a copyright."

Logan grinned. He held up a printout. "He did. The Library of Congress has people working 24/7."

Bobby's face finally relaxed a little, and he smiled. "My kind of place." When he read the application for copyright, his smile widened. "An address." Bobby stood up.

Mike slipped his suit coat on. "Let's go," he said.

* * *

Alex listened to reason, and went to her sister's house for the day. She was vigilant in the car, but found no sign they were being followed. Once inside the house, she allowed herself to relax.

It took some effort to explain to Nate that he must be careful around Auntie Alex and not hurt her sore arm. Finally, Alex settled into the recliner and Nate sat on the floor in front of her, playing with his plastic dinosaurs.

As her body relaxed, her mind seemed to spin faster. She thought over everything that had happened. She thought about Bobby, and how the attacks on her were affecting him. In spite of their arguing this morning, he had filled her in pretty thoroughly on the case. She called to her sister and asked for a laptop.

Liz perched her laptop on the arm of the chair, where Alex could reach it with her left hand. She warned Nate not to knock it off and went back to doing the laundry.

After several minutes of inputting passwords, Alex pulled up the NYPD database.

* * *

Bobby had his second wind. He looked out the car window anxiously, trying to downplay his excitement. Cardenas had given them the slip so many times, this would most likely be a dead end, too.

Logan didn't show it, but was thinking the same thing. He parked the car and turned to Goren. "Ready?"  
Goren checked his weapon. "Ready."

Mike called in their location and had backup at the ready. They got out of the car and walked up to the apartment building. They walked up the narrow stairs and knocked on the door of 12B. They couldn't see, but could hear a commotion from the inside of the building.

"Police!" Logan shouted. "Open the door!"

Goren bounced from one foot to the other, then raced back down the stairs they had just come up. He ran around the side of the building where the fire escape was and saw Cardenas riding away on a bicycle.

He ran after him, calling it in on his phone at the same time. A cruiser pulled up, but Cardenas slipped his bike into a bike path too tight for cars to fit. The uniformed officers got out and gave chase. Bobby stopped. He didn't stand a chance of catching him.

Logan came up and clapped him on the shoulder. He got on his cell phone. "Where the hell does this bike path come back up?" he asked, giving their address. Goren walked with him to the car as he listened to the response.

They went down into the bike area and worked back from the other side, but all they found was Cardenas' abandoned bicycle. There were lots of places that he could have jumped the fence and climbed out. He'd done it again.

* * *

Bobby's need for food had brought both detectives to a mom & pop bakery. They each grabbed a pastry and a cup of coffee and started walking back to the car. Bobby felt the vibration of his cell phone in his pocket and picked it up. He'd already missed two calls from Eames, and now she was texting him. All she sent was an address, and the words, "go get him."

Smiling, he showed the screen to Logan, saying, "Eames."

They stuffed the rest of the pastries down as they piled into the car. Mike pulled out while Bobby called in their next move.


	11. Chapter 11

Pressure Point

Chapter 11

The address was for an old house that had been chopped into apartments. From the looks of it, every house on the street had suffered the same fate. Bobby went around to the back, and Mike stayed in the front. Mike entered the front door, and then knocked on the apartment door. He stood back from the doorway and listened.

He knocked again. "Open up, police!" he shouted. Again, there was a flurry of movement inside. Mike waved to Bobby, who left the back entry and went around to the side of the house.

Bobby had his weapon in hand when Cardenas jumped from the window and landed at his feet. Bobby leveled his gun. "Set it down," he warned.

Cardenas held a gun of his own. He gave Goren a smile, but did not set the weapon down.

"Donnie, you know I'm a cop. Drop the gun."

He continued to smile. "That's what I told her."

Bobby shoved his words aside. He was trying to get to him. "Cardenas…"

"She put up a fight, too, even after she got hurt."

"Drop the gun, Donnie," Bobby said, his arms locked around his weapon.

Donnie's smile got even wider, and then he threw his handgun at Bobby, hard.

Bobby ducked, but not fast enough. The heavy metal hit him on the cheek, tearing it open. Bobby flinched, but kept his gun on Cardenas, who had dropped to the ground and was rolling toward him.

Bobby almost tripped, but dropped to his knees and held the gun to Cardenas' head. "Don't move," he threatened, feeling the anger swelling inside him again.

"Goren," said Mike's voice, low and calm.

Cardenas twitched, and Bobby pressed the gun against his head.

"I'm coming in," Mike said. He fished his handcuffs out and sidled in, sitting on top of Cardenas to cuff him. Bobby still held to the gun to his head. Mike patted the man down, and then looked at Bobby. "We got him, Goren."

Bobby held steady, seething inside.

"Bobby," Mike said softly.

Slowly, Bobby backed off Cardenas. He lowered his weapon and replaced it in the holster. Mike waved in their back-up officers and helped Cardenas up, holding him by the elbow. As the uniformed officers took him to the car, Mike turned to Bobby.

He was shaking with rage. Mike clapped his arm. "You're gonna need to get that looked at." He dug a handkerchief out of his pocket. "Here."

Bobby looked at the handkerchief, and then remembered that his cheek was hurt. He took it from Logan and pressed it against the bloody spot.

Logan took him by the arm and led him toward the flashing lights in front of them. "C'mon," he said.

* * *

"I'm sorry about this morning," Bobby said into the phone.

"Yeah, me too," said Alex. "Forget about it," she said, as only a New Yorker could.

He smiled, then touched a hand to the bandage on his cheek. "You at home?"

"No, at Liz's."

"I'll come get you."

"Okay."

With Cardenas in custody, Bobby was free to let his guard down. They still had loose ends to tie up, but Logan could handle it. What he needed now was Alex. He pulled up and parked the car, then walked the short jaunt to the door. He rang the bell.

Liz answered. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he mumbled, and walked past her into the house. Alex was struggling to get herself out of the recliner. She finally succeeded, and turned to see him.

"Bobby," she said quietly.

"I'm fine." His hand took hers, and she kissed him. "It's just a little cut," he explained.

"Logan?" she asked, teasing.

Bobby smiled as best he could. "Nah." He glanced around. "Where's Nate?"

"Napping," Alex said.

"Oh... uh...You ready?"

She got the sense that he wasn't going to explain until they were in private. "Yeah, I just need my bag."

After the goodbyes, they had a quiet drive back to Alex's place. Bobby seemed better than the last few days, but he was still brooding. She gave him his space.

Once inside her place, Alex sat beside him on the couch. He told her the story of capturing Cardenas, leaving out the part about his anger.

She could tell he was holding something back. Bobby closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the back of the couch. When he opened them, he was looking at the ceiling. "He got to me, Alex. He used you to get to me."

"You didn't do anything…?"

He shook his head and said quietly, "thanks to Logan."

She smiled, relieved. "Bobby, it's okay."

"I don't know that it is," he said. "I mean, I… well, I love you, Alex. I don't think I can do this anymore."

It was the first time he'd used those words. She looked at him, searching his eyes. She saw the sincerity there, and then she felt a cold fear at the thought of not working with him anymore. Alex shook her head. "Doesn't matter," she said.

"What do you mean, it doesn't matter?"

She sighed and looked down at her arm. "I'm out for 6 weeks at least. IF it heals right and the physical therapy works, I might be able to go back to work. That's a pretty big IF." She looked up at him with a new fear. "Or did you mean…"

"No, no, no! I meant work, I meant work." Bobby took her good hand in his. "All these years, I didn't even know. I'm not going to throw it away now." He carefully gave her a kiss.

"Let's just wait and see," she said. Then she smiled. "Besides, six weeks is a long time. You might be sick of me by then."

Bobby was quiet. It was just like Alex to joke about it. She grabbed the nearly empty champagne flute off the end table and held it up. "Skittle?" she offered. That brought a smile to Bobby's lips. He reached in his fingers and grabbed a couple, popping them into his mouth.


	12. Chapter 12

Pressure Point

Chapter 12

It was a good thing that they already knew each other so well. Alex, with her arm immobilized, and Bobby, with every mouth movement straining the stitches in his cheek, were quite the pair. It was a sucky way to begin a romance. The best they could manage comfortably was holding hands.

Still and all, it was a new beginning. Bobby doled out her medication and tucked her into bed. He prowled around the house a while, still insecure about her safety, but when the mattress dipped under his weight and Alex felt his hand against hers, she felt complete.

Even with the late hours he kept, Bobby awoke before Alex. Remembering the previous morning's arguments, he affectionately left her to sleep as long as she could. Bobby busied himself in the kitchen and caught up on the daily news. He'd been told to take a whole day off, but he didn't think it was necessary. Still, he looked forward to spending the time with Alex. He decided to wait until he heard from Logan to decide if he would go in or not.

He heard her, not quite a cry but certainly not a pleasant sound. Bobby walked quickly back to the bedroom and found her sitting up in bed, a grimace on her face.

"Alex?" he asked.

Her eyes found his and the pain in them went straight to his heart. "I'll get your medicine." He grabbed the bottle off the dresser and shook out two pills. Then he retrieved last night's water glass and filled it in the bathroom. He held the water while she popped the pills into her mouth. He waited until she washed them down, set the glass down on the nightstand, and eased himself against the headboard behind her, wrapping his arms around her, carefully avoiding her damaged limb.

She closed her eyes and let her head rest against his chest. Even through the haze of pain she was feeling, his arm around her was soothing. Enveloped in his scent, she found comfort.

* * *

Logan had spent the morning hours on the phone, secretly taking satisfaction in the knowledge that Cardenas now had to wait for him. He'd been in holding since yesterday, and Mike had another 4 hours before he was required to do something with him. As long as the Captain didn't force things along, Mike would take as long as he wanted.

He was making progress on the investigation. It wasn't like he was doing nothing. He had the information on the song, and he had Ramie from the bar. Mike raised his hand to touch the itchy bump on top of his head. The rough thread of the stitches poked at his finger. Aggravated, he opened his desk drawer and rooted until he found a fingernail clipper. He strode to the bathroom and dipped his head by the mirror. More by feel than by sight, he clipped the thread and began pulling it out of his skin. He worked for several minutes and then rubbed at the spot with his fingers.

The door burst open and Detective Jefferies called, "Hey Logan, that guy that shot Eames, he's yours, right? I swear I just saw him on the street outside."

Logan bolted past him and sprinted to the elevators. He pushed all the buttons, but when none opened, he took the stairs.

At the security checkpoint downstairs, Logan divested himself of everything: weapon, holster, shield, keys, change… He didn't bother to take any of it back, just hollered back at the officer, "Hold it for me!"

He swiped his ID badge and the door unlocked. Then, out of breath, he went to the first officer he saw. "I need to see Donnie Cardenas," he breathed.

She typed on her computer, and shook her head. "He's been released. About 30 minutes ago."

Logan smacked her desk and then turned around, hands on hips. He went back out and retrieved his things, keeping his cell phone out in his hand.

* * *

Alex tested the movement of each one of her fingers and smiled with satisfaction. Now that the swelling was down, she could tell that she was beginning to recover. A coffee cup was placed in front of her. She looked up, and smiled at Bobby.

He smiled a half-smile and sat down beside her. "What?"

"I can move them. All of them," and she looked down while she demonstrated.

His smiled widened, and tugged at his stitches. He lifted a hand to his mouth. "That's great!"

She gathered up her coffee with her left hand as his cell phone rang. Bobby stood to dig it out of his pocket, then paced off to the kitchen to talk. Alex didn't see the anger flash across his face, but he couldn't hide it in his voice. "How the hell did that happen?!" He listened, his footsteps scuffing back and forth across the floor. "All right. I 'll… uh… I'll be in later." He ended the call and stared at the phone in his hand, squeezing it like a baseball.

"Bobby?" Alex called expectantly.

He stuffed the phone back into his pocket and went in to tell her the bad news.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N This probably is completely inaccurate as far as the real show's storyline. But you're in my world now, so I get to write it however I like! I hope you're enjoying the suspense! And I know this is a very short chapter, but it seemed like a good suspenseful place to stop. Oh, and... mwahahahahahaha!

* * *

Pressure Point

Chapter 13

When Bobby arrived at 1PP, Logan was not at his desk. He marched straight to the Captain's office and knocked as he pushed the door open.

Ross waved him in. Bobby waited impatiently until he got off the phone.

"Logan's picking up a video as we speak. He'll have it up here any minute. Someone came in, said she was his lawyer, and presented paperwork to get him out. Our people went by the book."

Bobby raised a hand and scratched the back of his head. He nodded and silently walked out. He sat down at his desk, lost in thought. His phone rang. "Goren," he said, absently.

Her voice brought him into real time. "Bobby, I've been thinking. This is too much. For a kid like Cardenas. There's someone else behind it."

"Yeah… I was just thinking the same thing."

"Bobby…"

"I know." Seeing Logan, he stood up. "I'll call you later."

Mike held the flash drive up and Bobby followed him to the A/V room. They turned on the monitor and planted the flash drive in the USB port, selecting the video from the approximate time they needed.

They finally saw Cardenas at time marker 2:47. A woman with dark brown hair and a shapely body was waiting for him. For most of the 36 seconds of the video, they only saw the back of her head. Then Cardenas hugged her, and her head turned, just enough.

A cold chill went through Bobby. "Nicole," he whispered.

Mike looked up. He had never seen Nicole Wallace, but she was legendary in Major Case. Mike rewound the video and played it again, trying to get a closer look. "You're sure?" he asked.

The look on Bobby's face assured him.

"You go tell the Captain, I'll… uh… issue a warrant."

"I need to call Alex," Bobby said quietly.

"All right, I'll issue the warrant and fill in Ross." Mike left the room, as Bobby pulled out his cell, still staring at the frozen picture on the video screen.

Alex was not the least bit surprised by the news. She had already figured it, and like Bobby, was only sobered by the confirmation. She looked around her sister's living room, and hoped to God that Wallace didn't know where she was, for her family's sake.

"Maybe I should come in," she offered.

Bobby spun in a circle, ticking off the pros and cons of that plan in his mind. Her painful episode from the morning clinched it. "No. You need to stay where you can be comfortable."

They spoke for several moments, each trying to insure the other's safety. After an awkward goodbye, Bobby hung up the phone. He turned on his heel and joined Logan in Ross's office.

"Anybody goes after her better damn well have backup. A lot of it. We're going to catch her this time." Ross was adamant.

"All right, let's start looking," announced Mike, turning towards the door.

"We won't have to," said Bobby quietly. "She knows we've seen her. She'll contact me."

"Well, that should make things easier," said Ross sarcastically. Sometimes Goren's insights rubbed him the wrong way. "She can call you just as easily in the field as she can in the office. Get to it."

Bobby followed Mike out of the Captain's office, lost in thought. To Logan, he looked like a deer in the headlights.


	14. Chapter 14

Pressure Point

Chapter 14

Once out of the Captain's line of sight, the men decided the first stop should be a pow-wow with Eames. Mike drove them out to her sister's place, and Bobby convinced Liz to take Nate out for a while so they could speak in private.

"Captain wants us pounding the pavement," Logan explained.

Alex just turned her head toward Bobby. "She'll call," he said.

Alex nodded. "And what then?"

Bobby folded his hands together. "I'll go meet her."

"With backup," Alex said.

Bobby shook his head. "She'll spook. Ross doesn't… know her… it'll drive her away."

"So you'll meet her without backup?" Eames asked, not liking this plan at all.

Bobby saw the look in her eyes and shook his head. "With… minimal backup," he said, looking to Logan.

Mike surprised them both by sitting down. He looked at Goren first, then Eames. "No offense, Bobby, but you and Eames have been playing it this way for how long? And every time she gets away. You let her call the shots, and she wins every time. I think we should shake things up. She doesn't know me. I think I should be the one to meet her."

Bobby cocked his head, surprised that Mike was comfortable enough to disagree with him, and also intrigued by his comment.

"She won't like it," Eames pointed out.

"Maybe she would, though," Bobby said. "She'll be disappointed it's not me, but she'll be excited to have… a new playmate." He looked to Logan. "She's very tough," he warned.

Mike shrugged.

"She'll get you all torn up inside," Bobby continued, and Alex wondered that he was willing to be so open with Logan.

Mike crossed one leg over the other. "Maybe she only has that effect on you," he said quietly. Then he looked to Eames.

"He could be right," she said to Bobby. "The only thing she's ever gotten out of me is anger. She doesn't get to me the same way she gets to you."

Bobby looked at one, then the other. "Okay, so. How will she get to Logan?" He stood up and paced the length of the room several times.

* * *

Call from…UNAVAILABLE.

Goren looked over at Mike and then raised the phone to his lips. "Goren," he said.

"Hello, Bobby."

"Nicole, I've been expecting your call," he said pleasantly.

"I've missed you, Bobby. I heard your partner had a bit of an… accident. And you, did you knick yourself shaving?"

Bobby decided to toss it right back. "I heard you're a cougar, now."

He heard her breath come through a smile on the other end of the line. "Well, Bobby, two people in their prime… You really should have tried it when you had the chance."

He grinned, thinking this banter too easy. "Maybe I did."

Another pause. "Oh, I _have_ missed you, Bobby."

"Let's get down to business, Nicole. You've got something we want."

"Little Donnie? Oh, yes, well, he's a bit sloppy, isn't he... I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do with him."

"And you."

"It would be nice to see you again, Bobby. Perhaps we can talk it over in person?"

"Come in to the precinct."

She laughed. "No, Bobby, not this time." Instead, she told him the name and address of a bar in Manhatten. "And Bobby… only you this time."

"I'll do what I can, Nicole."

"Yes, that's what can be expected of a man your age." Having scored the final point, she hung up first.

Bobby turned to Mike, as he was writing in his binder.

"From this side of the conversation, you'd think you were going on a date."

Bobby nodded. "She likes to… play games." He rattled off the address and time of the scheduled rendezvous.

Mike turned the car around and headed back for 1PP, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

* * *

Goren went to talk to the tech guys while Mike locked himself in the AV room and studied all the recordings they had of previous interrogations with Nicole Wallace. He had to admit, Goren was good. Mike hoped he had what it would take to end the stalemate.

Goren knocked and entered, carrying a mic and battery pack in his hand. He paused to watch himself interviewing Nicole on the screen.

Mike pushed pause and stretched.

"Uhm… the guys said this one would be best." He handed the wire over to Logan, along with a roll of duct tape. "They said to tape it so the mic is about," he gestured on his tie, "here."

Mike nodded. He was rethinking this idea of minimal backup. They had even discussed the possibility that she might poke him with a needle the minute she saw him. He shook the dark thoughts from his head. "Okay, thanks," he said to Bobby.

"I'm gonna go talk to the people at the bar. Maybe we can set up on-site to listen in… be that much closer… in case…"

"Okay, thanks, Goren," Logan said loudly, not wanting to think about what might happen."

Bobby left the room as Mike unbuttoned his shirt.

* * *

The bar owners had been more than happy to assist the NYPD, and had offered the use of their camera system, as well. Bobby and two of the tech officers sat in the cramped manager's office, looking at a video monitor and listening to the sound of Mike watching from the car.

They watched as Nicole Wallace, now back to strawberry blonde hair, entered the bar and sat at a booth in the back. Mike had already seen her, and was just walking in.

She looked disappointed, but also curious. She spoke before he did. "Hello, Detective…"

"Logan," he said. "Mike Logan. Hello, Ms. Wallace." Mike hadn't expected her to be quite so pretty. The interrogation tapes didn't do her justice.

"I told Bobby-"

"He sent me," Mike interrupted. He shrugged. "I guess he's tired of never making it past first base with you."

She was pleased that he would tease her. She was excited to have a new partner for her game. "Please, Detective Logan, sit down. Or can I call you Mike?"


	15. Chapter 15

Pressure Point

Chapter 15

Mike settled in to the booth seat across from her, adrenaline pumping, never taking his eyes off even the subtlest movement she made. She leaned forward and whispered, "Buy me a drink, Mike."

He turned and waved for the server. "Sure," he said calmly. No one would have guessed he was the least bit anxious. "A martini for the lady," he said, seeing her approval, "and a coke for me."

She pouted. "I suppose you'll say you're 'on duty' or some other such nonsense."

He sniffed, and offered no explanation. She sat back, tilted her head, and smiled at him. A cold chill went right through Logan. It was a move he'd seen Goren make a thousand times, but never had it seemed so…sinister. "You have some unfinished business at the precinct," he said.

"Are you planning to take me in?" she dared, with a devilish smile on her lips.

"It'd be a lot easier if you'd just come on in."

"Oh, Detective. I hope you can understand just how impossible my situation is. You see, I've gotten a rather… bad reputation down there." Her drink was served and she helped herself. "I even heard I'm a 'textbook' case, now."

Logan swallowed. He had heard that, too, when he and Wheeler were trying to stop a clever young girl from emulating the woman who now sat two feet from him. "If you're innocent, it's your chance to clear your name."

"I'd never get that chance, and you know it." She stuck a finger in her martini, and then sucked it clean. "Enough about me. Tell me about Mike Logan. I like you. You seem… like those old movie detectives… brash and shrewd."

"That's how I seem to you, eh?" he chuckled, and sipped on his coke.

She waited, but he didn't give her more. Unlike Bobby, Mike wasn't planning to make it easy for her. He wasn't giving her one stitch of information about himself, at least not consciously.

"Okay, so you won't turn yourself in. What about Cardenas?" he asked. "We've got a few good reasons to talk to him, too."

She set a finger against her lips, in thought. Then she leaned toward him again and smiled. "I could give you little Donnie," she said. "In exchange for something else."

Mike gave it his best poker face. "I'm listening," he said.

She moved as close as she comfortably could with the table between them and whispered, directly where the mic was behind his tie, "Give me Bobby," she said. Her voice was almost a hiss.

Logan sat back farther in the seat. Involuntarily, beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He looked one way, then the other, and addressed her out of the corner of his mouth. "Bobby doesn't want to talk to you anymore, Nicole."

* * *

Goren's palms were sweating as he listened to the exchange between Logan and Wallace. He was surprised by how well Mike was doing with the interview. Now, however, Logan had crossed onto dangerous ground. Nicole wouldn't like it that she couldn't control the game.

Suddenly, Bobby wished he had listened to his Captain.

* * *

"He may not want to talk, but I know he's listening," she said. "I know you're listening, Bobby. I know what you most fear. I know where she is," Nicole said.

The heat rose up the sides of Logan's neck and into his cheeks. "You'd better not go there, Wallace," he warned. He was as protective of Alex as Bobby.

Nicole was pleased with his emotional display. After a thoughtful moment, she said, "Have you been…partnered… with her too?"

Logan wrestled down his emotions and put his poker face back on. "Very funny, Nicole." He took a long drink of his coke. "I think I'm done here. You hand me Cardenas, I might buy you another drink." He stood and swaggered his way out of the bar.

* * *

Goren and the others watched her. She put one hand on her chin in thought, motionless in the seat. Then she stood and walked out.

Once she was gone, Bobby scrambled outside, searching up and down the street. Seeing no sign of her, he jogged over to the car, where Mike sat, recovering. His shirt was open, the duct-taped recording unit slung onto the console. He was smoking a cigarette.

"You okay?" Bobby asked as he got in the car, without making eye contact.

Mike exhaled and shrugged.

"You did a good job," he said. "Stayed on your toes."

"She's one cold blooded bitch," Mike whispered.

Goren didn't contest Logan's assessment. It was close enough to true.

"Well, what happens next?"

A flash of worry, and Bobby said, "We go get Alex somewhere safe. Then we wait, see how Nicole decides to play."

Bobby noticed Mike's hand shaking as he put the key in the ignition, but didn't say a word. It had been a dangerous and foolish plan, and they were lucky it had gone so well.


	16. Chapter 16

Pressure Point

Chapter 16

"Bobby. I'm disappointed," Nicole said. Bobby sat up straighter in the bed.

Alex was beside him, no longer asleep. She reached her hand out and placed it on his forearm.

"I never promised anything, Nicole."

"You disappoint me. Are you with _her_ now?"

Bobby glanced over at Alex. "Why are you so interested?"

Even through the phone, Bobby could tell she was smiling. "I'll bet she's next to you right now. Are you in bed, Bobby?"

Again, his eyes flitted over Alex before he closed them. "I'm not playing anymore, Nicole." He hung up.

Alex moved her hand to his, and his fingers laced between hers. Bobby glanced around the dark hotel room, and turned on his side to look at Alex. "She might kill over that."

"You're not responsible, Bobby."

He nodded, but couldn't help feeling that he may have triggered something.

* * *

When Bobby arrived at 1PP, Logan was waiting for him. "I got a call."

From the look on Mike's face, he didn't have to ask from who. "Me too."

"You first," Mike said.

"Nothing, just banter. I hung up on her."

"She wants to meet me."

Bobby sat down at his desk and looked over at Logan, who was sitting in Alex's chair. "When?"

"Doesn't matter. I'm not going." Logan watched Bobby cock his head. "I'm playing it different, right? I'm not giving her control of the game."

Bobby nodded. They were doing this Logan's way.

* * *

Nicole Wallace entered the restaurant her usual, cheerful self. When she left three hours later, she was pissed.

* * *

In the wee hours of the morning, the calls came in. Alex heard Bobby on the phone, and was instantly alert. He hung up, that tortured look on his face. "Cardenas… is… is dead."

"It's not your fault, Bobby. It's not you, it's _her._"

He heard her words but couldn't accept them. Isn't this why he spent all those years studying criminal behavior? So he could _prevent_ the next murder? As he pulled on his pants, he swallowed hard. "I'll…uh… I'll call you later." As an afterthought, he added, "You want me to call someone to stay with you until your brother comes?"

She shook her head, looking at the clock. "I'll be fine." He finished dressing and grabbed his gun and shield off the dresser. "Bobby?"

He turned toward her.

"Be careful." Bobby nodded and left.

* * *

Logan was already at the crime scene, a grimace on his face. He waited for Bobby to join him. "Blew himself up… or so it seems." He pointed out the delivery boxes and the scattered bomb-making materials.

Bobby shook his head. "No…no, Nicole…"

"I know. We just can't prove it yet."

Bobby looked at the body, or what was left of it. He pushed aside thoughts of how he'd almost killed the man himself only a few days ago. He gloved up and carefully lifted Cardenas' bloody chin. "shrapnel to the throat."

Mike nodded, and Bobby started pacing the empty space nearby. "He was a thrill seeker, she would have played on that."

"Add to that the kid was in love with her," Mike said. He held up a cd of mixed songs he'd found next to the computer keyboard.

"He was in love with _some_body," Bobby corrected. "No way to link that to her."

Mike shrugged. "Not yet."

Bobby continued with his train of thought. "She talks him into building a bigger and better bomb, and… and… makes it all about his manhood. Then he's really got to outdo himself. He would've been very easy for her to play." Bobby ran his hands through his hair. "I doubt we'll find any trace of her here."

They went through the process anyway, that was their job. When the sun began to rise, two tired detectives headed back to 1PP. Ross called them into his office immediately.

"It was Wallace," Mike said.

"And you have evidence of this?" Ross pressed.

"Not yet."

"Great." Ross slapped a folder onto his desktop. "Get a bulletin out on her. We need to talk to her." He looked at Goren. "Or do you think she'll just give you a call?"

Bobby glanced at Mike briefly. "I…I don't know. She's still trying to control the game. She'll expect us to pull out all the stops, bring her in. That was the reason she killed Cardenas, to force our hand."

"You're telling me that she killed Cardenas because she _wants_ us to catch her?"

"Not exactly. She doesn't want to be caught. She just wants us… to be desperate to catch her."

Logan mumbled. "So the next time she calls, we'll play it her way."

Ross frowned. "What you're telling me is that she's so full of herself, she thinks she can manipulate the best detectives in the NYPD and get away scot-free." His hands balled into fists and he leaned against them on his desktop. "I want that girl in here. You find her. You bring her in."

Logan and Goren both knew that was their cue. They walked out slowly and waited for the door to shut behind them. They stopped at Goren's desk. "The angrier she gets, the more she will kill," Goren said, his guilty conscience rearing its head again.

"She kills because she's a sociopath, Goren." Mike dismissed his guilt with a wave of his hand. "I still think we're playing it right."

"The angrier she gets, the less predictable she will be… and harder to catch."

"The more desperate she gets, the more she'll want to contact us."

"She's obsessed with hurting me."

"She's jonesing for the thrill she gets from defeating you."

Angrily, Bobby folded his arms. "Fine, then. What's our next move?"

Mike looked at Ross's office and caught the Captain's angry eye on them through the glass. "We…uh… nonchalantly… bring her in." Mike leaned forward and whispered, subtly indicating the Captain with a jerk of his head, "Good thing _he_ doesn't know we already had her."

* * *

Alex exercised her fingers every chance she got. Her gut told her the more she used them, the more they would improve. Bobby had been restless ever since he returned to the hotel. Alex missed the comforts of her home, but she agreed that for her safety and the safety of her family, she should stay under the radar as long as she could. Bobby's last phone conversation with Nicole had verified the interest she had in their relationship. Injured as she was, Alex was too easy a target.

There was a knock on the door, and Bobby checked through the peephole, then opened the door. He dug the money out of his wallet and paid the pizza boy. "Uhm, dinner," he announced, making eye contact with Alex for the first time in an hour.

He arranged the meal on the tiny square table the hotel room furnished. Alex sat down slowly, cradling her hurt arm as she did. "You all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, just being careful," she replied.

Within minutes, Bobby had already eaten two pieces and was reaching for a third. Alex took a sip of her coke and asked, "Bobby what's wrong?"

He'd already filled her in on Cardenas in a very professional way, making sure she understood that they had no evidence that Nicole was involved in his death. The rest, he'd been stewing about.

"Are you still feeling guilty?" she asked, point blank. Alex did that to him sometimes. She was a straight shooter.

He looked at her arm, and shook his head. "N-no… well…"

"Okay, look, Bobby. I can't convince you that it's not your fault, but I can tell you this: When you do this, when you take on all this responsibility, that's how she gets to you. 'All torn up inside,' isn't that what you told Logan? Look at yourself, Bobby. Isn't that how you're feeling right now?"

He tossed the piece of pizza back into the box, got up angrily, and paced across the room. Bobby stopped, closed his eyes, and considered the wisdom of what she'd said. "You're right," he whispered. "You're absolutely right."


	17. Chapter 17

A/N Sorry it's taken me so long to update. My laptop is in the shop, and I was hoping to wait to write more of this story when I could sit in comfort and work… but it's taking forever. It was easier to write the little one-shots for my other fic in the meantime. But, I know you've all been waiting patiently, so I hope this will quench your thirst.

* * *

Chapter 17

It wasn't a cop bar, just one of his neighborhood haunts. Logan sat at a booth in the back. When alone, it was his habit to always sit with his back to the wall, where he could see everything that was going on around him. The waitress brought him his beer, and a whiskey chaser. He paid her, and as she walked away, he felt for his phone in his pocket. He checked that it was on both ring and vibrate, and put it back. Goren was convinced she would call… one of them.

He felt a jolt of electricity as he watched her come in the door and walk purposefully toward him. One hand moved to his weapon. He wasn't about to let her get close enough to stick a needle in him.

She had nothing of the sort in mind. She stopped before sitting down across from him. "Hello, Mike."

"Nicole," he said coolly. "Buy you a drink?"

"You owe me one. You stood me up."

Mike shrugged. "Something… important came up," he said, knowing it would piss her off.

Her smile was delayed, and then a little too bright. "I forgive you, Michael."

The waitress came, and Nicole ordered her drink. Mike dropped the money on the table before the waitress even brought it back.

"I see you're having a big boy drink this time," she observed. "Drowning in your sorrows, maybe?"

"Hardly."

"I know you," she said, a glint in her eye. She sat back to receive her drink and waited until the waitress left. "You've spent your whole life trying not to be like your mother."

His eyes snapped up at that, but he wrestled his emotions back down. _She'll get you all torn up inside…_

"Poor Michael… he never had a Mommy to hold him when he was sad… to kiss his boo-boos…"

"I had a Mom, Nicole."

"Well, in the literal sense of the word… but you were never mothered, were you Michael? And now you spend your time either drowning in a bottle or romping with any woman willing to soothe you."

"You killed Cardenas."

She smiled again. "He was careless. I wasn't even there when it happened."

"You put him up to it."

She leaned forward and whispered, "I could kiss your pain away."

He finished off his shot of whiskey. "You can kiss my ass," he said and slid to the end of the seat.

As he stood, she moved to stand, as well. He drew his weapon. "No, Nicole. No closer. I'm taking you in."

"Drunken NYPD officer arrests young lady for flirting in a bar?" She stood up slowly. "You don't have it in you. You couldn't stand up to your Mommy, and you can't stand up to me." She turned and started to walk out.

Mike took two steps forward and grabbed her by the arm. The surrounding customers jumped back in surprise as he pushed her down against a table and made quick work of cuffing her. He pulled out his phone and called in for backup, keeping his gun on her while they waited. He didn't frisk her: It wouldn't be safe to do so without backup.

"You don't know me," he breathed into her ear as he pushed her cuffed hands up high enough to cause some pain.

* * *

Nicole sat in the holding cell, conferencing earnestly with her lawyer. Ross stood in his office, with Logan and Goren in front of him. He hung up the phone. 'This is a fucking nightmare," he hissed. "Her lawyer's already gone to the press. Not only are they claiming you were drunk, Logan, but that you used excessive force. They're saying because we're Major Case, we think we don't have to follow procedure." He sighed and scratched his fingers through his curly hair. "Sorry. That's my headache. You did a good job," he said, and clapped the man on the shoulder. "You and Goren go get what you can out of her."

They left the Captain's office and went to Goren's desk. He sat down, and invited Logan to sit in Eames' chair. "Go over it again," Goren said quietly. "Everything she said."

Logan hated to, but he knew every syllable would be important to Goren. He leaned in and spoke in low tones as he recounted the previous night's rendezvous.

* * *

"Bobby, I'm so happy to see you," she said, sitting comfortably next to her lawyer in interrogation.

Bobby looked over his shoulder at the window, then dropped his binder on the table and sat down across from her. "I've been here, waiting," he said, reminding her that they were on his turf, playing his game. "You could have come by anytime… without all the… hub-bub."

She smiled. "Where's the fun in that?"

Bobby ignored her joke and clicked his mechanical pencil, opening his ledger to a clean page. "Tell me about Donnie Cardenas."

"Who?" she asked innocently.

Bobby leveled a glare at her. "He was in love with you, Nicole. He was making you… well, never mind that."

He'd piqued her interest. She peered into the stack of papers coming out of his binder and saw the edge of the cd. She reached for it, but Bobby slid it out of her reach.

"Tell me about Donnie," he challenged, hand atop his little pile of evidence.

She sat back and folded her arms. "All right," she said, adopting her tit-for-tat tone. "I met him at a night club. He was very good in bed. We had a little fun together."

"You coerced him into killing for you." The lawyer sat up, but Nicole signaled him with her hand.

"I really don't know what that boy did outside of my bed."

"So you didn't know about the band Blunt Force?"

"It sounds familiar. Maybe they were at the club the night I met him?"

"Donnie," Bobby slipped a piece of paper in front of her, "stole a song from Francis Blunt, applied for a copyright."

"Naughty boy," she commented, looking with interest at Bobby's evidence. She shrugged. "It has nothing to do with me."

Bobby tilted his head. "Well, you know, that's interesting, because I found out what Cardenas was planning to do with this song."

"Oh?"

"He'd contacted some execs in LA, about using the song as a theme for a new show they were planning."

She frowned.

"Your name was on the letter, Nicole." Bobby showed her a copy.

She paused in thought. You could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she thought up a lie. "He thought they would be more receptive to a beautiful woman making the pitch. I'm supposed to fly out there next week for a meeting."

"You're going to … go ahead with the deal."

Again, the lawyer tried to step in, but Nicole stopped him. "I feel I owe it to him. It was his dream." Bobby made notes on his paper. He tapped the paper with his pencil, thinking.

"Bobby," Nicole began. He looked up. "How's Detective Eames?"

A rush of anger surged inside him. He needed to ask her about Eames, too. He needed to pin something on her, but he knew she would never willingly give him what he wanted. His face reddened, and he said over one shoulder, "Fine. She's fine."

"She'll be starting physical therapy soon," Nicole commented.

Bobby's eyes flashed a warning at her, and Nicole smiled.

* * *

Eames dialed Bobby. Getting no answer, she dialed Logan.

"Yeah," he said.

"What the hell, Mike? Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said.

"I just saw this crap on the news."

"It's okay," he said. "Ross is going to run interference."

"Where's Bobby?"

"Interrogation."

"With her?"

"Yeah."

Her face creased with worry. "Is he okay?"

"So far. I'm in observation."

"Cut it short if you have to," she said.

Logan understood. "I'll have him call you later."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Three hours in, Ross made Bobby take a break. He held the cell phone to his ear and paced in a circle around his desk. "Yeah, I'm okay," Bobby said softly, turning again to protect his privacy.

Logan watched him from across the room. He'd run the gamut with her: calm, detached, angry, provocative… Nicole Wallace was a tough nut to crack. Logan hoped Goren's conversation with Eames would get his feet under him again.

He nodded before he said the words. "Yeah, I know." Bobby rubbed his neck with his free hand. "Okay," he almost whispered. "Alex," he called to her, caught her just before he hung up. "Thanks." He punched the "end" button and took a deep breath. Then he wandered down to the bathroom.

* * *

The stage was being set for round two with Wallace. Goren left his pile of evidence out on the table, with the cd laying on top. He waited in the observation room while she and her lawyer returned to the interrogation room. He scrutinized her as she reached out and took the cd in her hands, reading the scrawled handwriting on it.

Logan gave him a look of encouragement as Bobby passed on his way in. Turning, Logan watched Goren enter the interrogation room and sit down across from Nicole.

"I can get a cd player, if you want to hear it," Bobby offered.

She tilted her head at him. "In exchange for…"

Bobby waved at the window. "No, nothing. I could use some background music."

Logan stepped out, found a small boombox and handed it to the officer at the door. Then he went back into the observation room. He watched as the officer set it on the table next to Goren.

Bobby opened the bag and put the cd in the player. He adjusted the volume to something suitable for background music. Nicole listened, and smiled when she recognized the tune.

"So… uh…. Donnie was making this cd for you."

She smiled a wistful smile. "He could be very sweet."

"He… uh… he was in love with you." Bobby shrugged and sniffed before continuing. "Guys… uh… they don't put that kind of time in… finding the right songs… the right sequence of songs… burning them… you were special to him."

She continued to smile, but didn't respond.

"Too bad you couldn't reciprocate," Bobby said quietly, doodling on his ledger.

Her eyes fixed on the detective. "You're baiting me, Bobby."

He grinned and looked away. "Twenty questions… you know… just a 'yes' or 'no'… a 'true' or 'false'…"

Nicole glanced at the cd player, then at him. "All right," she said. "He was in love with me."

"And you…"

"I didn't love him." She leaned in until Bobby looked her in the eye. "But not because I couldn't."

Bobby continued to draw on his paper. "He received a call at 10:30 on the morning he was killed. It was one of those prepaid cell phones. You know, like you carry." Bobby stared her down. "You called him, told him the last bomb wasn't strong enough. You taunted him."

Bobby continued, "And because he loved you… he had to prove himself to you. He had to prove he could live up to your… expectations, Nicole."

"Even if I had called him, I certainly didn't kill him," she said. She leaned in. "My turn, Bobby."

He sat back, waiting.

"Have you been sleeping with her?" Nicole whispered.

Chills ran up Bobby's spine. He clamped his lips shut, and said nothing.

"I'll take that as a yes," Nicole said triumphantly. "I suppose you have her locked away somewhere under the guise of 'keeping her safe.'" Nicole's grin widened, showing all of her teeth. "Maybe I'll join her. We can be Bobby's little harem."

Goren smacked his hand hard against the table, making both Nicole and her lawyer jump. He stood up and turned away, just as Ross knocked on the window.

Bobby stepped outside, and after a deep breath, joined them in observation.

Ross spoke. "That's it. We're never going to get anything out of her. Book her for busting Cardenas out of here, and we'll go back to the original murder. Find some kind of evidence that'll bring her down."

"Goren."

Bobby rubbed his 5 o'clock shadow and looked up at the Captain. "You're spent. Let Logan take over for a while. Take the night off."

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, but he nodded. He looked up in time to see Nicole smiling at the two-way mirror just before they took her back to holding.

* * *

He sat on the edge of the bed, hunched shoulders, face in his hands.

Alex knew to tread carefully. Every time he went toe to toe with Nicole, she dredged up some kind of emotional muck in him. He'd already filled her in. "Look Bobby, she's human. She'll make a mistake sooner or later. Maybe this time…"

He nodded. He'd been telling himself that same thing for at least an hour.

She raised her good hand to stroke his stubbled cheek. "You're tired. Get some rest."

He looked at her for a moment, then slowly stripped down to his boxers and laid in the bed. Alex sat by him until he fell asleep, her good hand petting his unruly curls.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Bobby stared at the ceiling, fingers playing at the edges of the stitches on his cheek. The morning sun was creeping in through the split in the curtains. Bobby lowered his hand and pushed himself up, leaning his upper body against the headboard. He could see Alex clearly in the morning light, her face relaxed and peaceful. Her arm was still heavily wrapped and immobilized by the brace, but somehow she'd managed to relax in spite of it.

The urge to touch her was strong, but he didn't want to wake her. Instead, he slid out of the sheets and went into the bathroom. He wanted to take the stitches out.

The job was done in only a few minutes. He stepped into the shower. His peace was interrupted by Alex's voice. "Bobby, Logan's on the phone," she called as she walked into the bathroom.

He turned the water off and opened the curtain, drying his hands on the towel before he wrapped it around his waist. He took the phone from her hand.

"Hey."

"Wallace made bail. She'll be out by 10 a.m."

Goren nodded. He had expected as much. "I'm staying with Alex. She has physical therapy today, and since Nicole-"

"Yeah, I remember. Good idea."

"I'll call you later." He hung up the phone and set it down by the sink.

"You're staying with me today?" she asked. She was sitting on top of the closed toilet. "What did Nicole say?"

Bobby grabbed another towel and started drying his body. "She knew you were starting PT soon. And she made bail. It… it just makes me uncomfortable. And since Cardenas followed you to that appointment, I think…"

"Okay." She stood up and looked at the shower, then her arm. "You think you can get me out of this thing?"

He gave her a crooked smile. "Sure."

* * *

Alex waited patiently as the physical therapist removed her brace. He asked her to move her fingers, her wrist, and her arm. Her heart sank as she realized how little she could do of what he asked. He used tools to measure how far she could move everything, and made notes in her chart. Then he helped her back into her brace.

He gave her a palm-sized squishy ball. "Take this home with you. Squeeze it 15 times, 4 reps, every day. Make an appointment with me for next week." He moved back to give her room to stand up, and smiled at her. "And don't worry. It looks good," he added.

Alex scheduled her next appointment and then went out to find Bobby in the waiting room. He stood, waiting anxiously to hear what she had to say.

"He says it looks good," she said, and added, "but I couldn't do much."

He held the door for her as they went outside. Both detectives scanned the streets for anything suspicious. They walked down the block together, when suddenly Goren froze in his tracks. Alex was instantly on alert, but she had no idea what had alarmed him. He slowly lifted his cell phone to his ear. He called the bomb squad.

Bobby pointed to a trash can ahead of them. Sticking up at the top was an unopened box bearing the label of Cardenas' former employer, New York Couriers. The logo was unmistakable: it looked almost exactly like the popular New York City t-shirts, NYC.

Alex and Bobby moved to opposite sides of the trash can and verbally warned people to steer clear of it until the squad cars arrived and set up a proper perimeter.

* * *

Bobby drove a convoluted route back to the hotel, just in case Nicole was tracking them somehow. Alex had already called her brother and asked him to come stay with her for a while, so Bobby could go in to work. There was a lot to do, and neither of them wanted to lay it all on Mike's shoulders.

Once she was safely in the room, he held her in his arms, careful not to squeeze her injured arm. Bobby dropped a sweet kiss on her lips. "See you later," he whispered, and headed back out.

* * *

At the site, Bobby had seen that there was no bomb in the box, just a couple of slips of paper. He hadn't had the chance to see them up close yet. Now, trace was finished with them, and he was in a conference room with Mike, the box between them on the table. Mike handed a baggie to him, frowning.

It was a note.

Dear _Bobby,_

_ It would be so easy._

Her lip prints served as a signature.

Logan handed over the other one. It was a photocopy of a lyrics sheet, written by hand, that said Deathwatch was written by Francis Blunt and Don Cardenas.

Bobby frowned, but looked very carefully at the writing. "Cardenas' name… the handwriting… seems… forced."

"Trace sent this report along with it." He handed it over to Bobby. "The ink for 'and Don Carenas' came from a different pen. Handwriting analysis said it was written by Blunt, though."

As his eyes scanned the page, Bobby suddenly sat up straighter. When he looked up, he saw Logan's grin.

"A partial?!"

"Belonging to Nicole," Logan said.

"She- she forced Blunt to add Cardenas' name to the lyrics. Then she had Cardenas kill him." Bobby put everything down quickly. "She wants to sell the song… We've got to get to the airport."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"She wasn't on the direct flights to LAX," Bobby said, checking in with Logan. This was their fourth airline that they'd had to check passenger lists on. It was starting to get dark outside. "According to the agent, there's 5 other popular ways to make the trip. She's pulling the records for me now."

"I got the same thing over there." Mike jerked his thumb in the direction of the next airline desk down the line.

Bobby excused himself and left Mike to wait for the documents. He walked around, stretching his tired muscles. He hadn't gone far when he heard Mike call to him.

"Bobby." Mike frowned and handed him the paper. "Look at this."

Bobby looked. Apparently, Alexandra Eames had flown to Quebec that morning.

* * *

Bobby was as tired as she'd ever seen him. He dropped a paper sack on the table and although he pulled out the half-eaten sandwich and thought about eating the rest, he was too tired. "Looks like she's flown the coop," he said, fingering the plastic wrap around the sandwich. "If you want to go home, I can drive you," he offered.

"Tomorrow," Alex said, and she saw him relax slightly.

Bobby relayed the story of how far they'd been able to track her. She'd flown as Alex to Quebec, as Nicole Cardenas to Atlanta, as Alex again to Phoenix, switching airlines each time. They were unable to track her from Phoenix to LA, but Bobby knew that's where her final destination was. She had to meet with some tv hotshots, after all. She'd probably used her connections in Phoenix to get a car and drive the last leg of the trip.

Logan had called the authorities in LA, and it was up to them now… until she came back to the Big Apple.

Alex had been sitting across from him, listening intently the whole time he spoke. There was no way to really comfort him, so she decided a distraction was in order. "Watch this," she said, and she squeezed her little stress ball with her right hand, five times."

Bobby smiled at her. "That's great! Don't overdo it, though." His cell phone rang. "Logan," he told Alex, and then answered it. He listened. "Okay, yeah, thanks, Mike." A question showed in his face. "Huh? Okay, here she is." He handed the phone to Alex.

"Hi Mike," she said, pausing to listen. "Yeah. I'll do that. G'night." She ended the call and set the phone down on the table.

Goren's curiosity was raging. "What? What will you do?"

Alex shrugged. "Oh, a little distraction..." she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. "Help you relax," she stroked his stubbly cheek with her left hand and kissed him again.

Bobby let the kiss linger, stretched out for more. "Logan told you to do that?"

Alex kissed him again. "He's a good friend."

* * *

The two slept soundly, at peace simply knowing the other was there. Bobby's cell phone lit up and then rang, both serving to rouse him. "Goren," he said, eyes half-shut, not even bothering to look at the screen.

Her voice sent chills through him. He tensed, listening.

_I'm sorry I had to leave town so suddenly…_

He swallowed hard.

_You know, I'm looking forward to our next visit. I'll be sure and give Michael a call. Maybe we can have a threesome._

He didn't speak, but he didn't hang up.

_Oh... you're disappointed, aren't you? You wanted it boy girl girl, didn't you? I'm sorry Bobby. I'm not sure she'll be around next time. Enjoy the ride while you can, Bobby._

He finally found his voice, even through his anger. "Where are you, Nicole?" he asked, his voice gruff.

_Love and Kisses, Bobby. Until next time._

The line went dead. In a moment of fury, he chucked the phone across the room, where it bounced off the wall, then the dresser, then skittered across the floor.

Alex was fully awake beside him, as if she'd just had a nightmare. Looking at Bobby, she knew it hadn't been a dream.

The anger was still in his face. He shook his head, turning red, and got up out of bed. He paced, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Bobby," she said. "Nothing's changed. She's still gone and I'm still safe."

He listened, cocked his head to consider her words. "I-" he began, then cleared his throat. "I, uh… the day you… the day you were shot… I said to myself…" He paused, swallowed. "I said 'they'll do anything they can to break me.'"

Alex sat up, careful of her arm. "Well, it doesn't look to me like you're broken."

He did a doubletake, and blinked. How could she think he wasn't broken? He shook his head. "She does this… she gets to me every time."

"And the next time you bring her in, Bobby, you've got all the evidence you need to put her away. She was careless this time. You've got her. By the time she comes back, you won't have to worry about me; I'll be able to take care of myself."

He held his breath, and looked Alex up and down, pausing at her trussed up arm. He tasted blood on his lower lip and ran his tongue over it. He would always worry about Alex, but he knew that would be the wrong thing to say. Instead, he sighed and nodded.

* * *

Alex managed to drain the pasta without assistance. Her right arm was in a soft brace, but she was slowly gaining use of it back. She drank down her soda and smiled as the boys came in, talking loudly, their clothes a sweaty mess. Now she knew how her mom felt when her brothers came home with their friends in tow. "My boys," she said, remembering hearing her mother say the same thing on many occasions.

"How did it go?" She called to them.

Goren's eyes sparkled, and he was still pumped up from the game. "Oh, Logan was terrific! He stole the ball and sank a jumper for the win!"

"Goren had his share of plays, too," Logan added. "He kept stuffing their center every time the guy would try to shoot. It was awesome!" Logan stole a piece of bread off the table and headed for the bathroom to clean up and change.

Bobby came into the kitchen, smiling as he took in Alex's accomplishment. "Smells good," he said.

"I told you I could do it," she smiled back, raising her hands.

Aware of his sweaty shirt, he leaned over and touched his lips to hers. "I never had any doubt," he said.

"Go clean up. I'm hungry," she said. He kissed her again before heading down the hall to her…their… bedroom.

THE END

A/N I know you're probably all mad at me for letting her get away, but she does have to be free so Declan can... you know, the thing with the heart and all...

Thanks for sticking with this convoluted tale! I appreciate all the reads and especially the reviews!


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